Social Services

Self Care Sunday, a festival for Mental Health Action Day is back! In partnership with MTV and others, the County of Union invites you and your family to join us to partake in more than twenty self-care tools including Yoga, Sound Bath, Dance Fitness, Basketball, Art and more!  Mental health resources and professionals will be on site to help you tap into your best version of self.

Click here to view and/or download the Self Care Sunday flyer.

• What: Self-Care Sunday, a festival for Mental Health Action Day with over twenty self-care tools, games and prizes! Mental health resources and professionals will be on site to help you tap into your best version of self.
• When: May 21, from 12pm until 5pm.
• Where: Rahway River Park, which is located at Saint Georges Avenue, Rahway, NJ 07065.
• How: Free event. Click here to learn more about rhe event and register.

The Linden Social Services Department has moved to a new location, which is located at 1120 East Saint Georges Avenue. Please visit the new Social Services office at 1120 East Saint Georges Avenue for social services related needs, or call 908-474-8548.

The Union County Board of Commissioners will be hosting a Rent and Utility Assistance Enrollment Event.

Click here to view and/or download the informational flyer for the Rent and Utilities Assistance Enrollment Event.

• Who: Must reside within Union County, be an adult listed on your signed lease agreement, reside in a rental property, and have had your household experience income/financial hardship directly or indirectly due to COVID-19.
• What: Rent and utility assistance enrollment event.
• Where: Room K517 in the Union College Kellogg Building, which is located at 40 West Jersey Street, Elizabeth, NJ 07202.
• When:
  • March 24, 2023 from 12pm until 6pm.
  • March 25, 2023 from 9am until 2pm.
• How: Registration required. No walk-ins! Click here to register, or call 888-998-2432. Click here to visit the Union County Emergency Rental Assistance Program website.

Important update for SNAP households:

• Emergency extra SNAP benefits expire February 28, 2023.
• Due to a recent change in federal law, the extra temporary benefits SNAP recipients have received, known as SNAP Emergency Allotments, is coming to an end.
• This means the regular SNAP benefit will resume starting March 1, 2023. The minimum monthly SNAP benefit in New Jersey is now $50.
• For more information, click here.
• To view and/or download the NJ SNAP benefits infographic, click here.

Children are now eligible for NJ FamilyCare regardless of immigration status.

Click here to learn more and apply for affordable health coverage / quality care,
or call 1(800) 701-0710 (TTY: 711).

The Jewish Family Service (JFS) of Central New Jersey invites you to enroll in a four-week class to become a Certified Home Health Aide.

• What: Four (4) week health training program that will put you on a new career path as a Certified Home Health Aide.
• Where: JFSCNJ Halpern Building, which is located at 655 Westfield Avenue, Elizabeth, NJ 07208.
• When: March 6 through March 30, 2023, on Monday through Thursday from 9am until 3pm.
• How: $75 fee for books and materials. The program is generously funded by the Fred C. Rummel Foundation. For more information, email here or call (908) 352-8375.

The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA), Division of Housing and Community Resources (DHCR) is accepting Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program preliminary applications online here for the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program waiting list state-wide. 

The Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program is a federally funded program that provides housing subsidies to New Jersey residents, so that they can obtain decent, safe, and sanitary housing. A total of 20,000 households will be selected state wide through a random lottery system and be placed on the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program waiting list. The Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher pre-applications will be available online here beginning Tuesday, January 17, 2023, 9:00 AM EST., until Friday, February 3, 2023, at 5:00 PM EST., for New Jersey residents, who are eighteen (18) years of age or older; or, who are emancipated minors and meet all applicable federal income and eligibility requirements.

DCA has adopted the following preferences for admission to the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher waiting list: Veterans, Homeless, Disabled, Domestic Violence, and Local and Secondary Residents. Applicants who qualify for one or more preferences will have priority for selection for placement on the waiting list. United States Armed Forces Veterans, and their surviving spouses in accordance with New Jersey Administrative Code (N.J.A.C.) 5:40-2.5., have the highest priority. Individuals who claim to have a preference, must meet all eligibility criteria for a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program at the time of selection from the waiting list, (on DCA’s webpage, see frequently asked questions #5 for a full definition for preferences). Applicants should select all preferences categories that apply to them.

All Applicants must have an email address to apply.

Only one (1) Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program pre-application per household will be accepted. Paper pre-applications will not be accepted unless a reasonable accommodation is necessary. Please contact DCA-DHCR at 609-292-4080 and select Option 9 from the menu and request a reasonable accommodation, during the hours of 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM, seven days a week, or email us here during the open enrollment period. 

Income limits for the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program are referenced on DCA’s website.

Submission of a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program pre-application does not guarantee placement on the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program waiting list.

Click here to view and/or download the DCA Rental Assistance Fact Sheet.

Additional information, including the Public Notice and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) in both Spanish and English can be found here.